Bright Tangerine has added new accessories for the Sony Venice & Blackmagic Ursa Mini to their Left Field line of camera accessories. Currently, there are also Left Field accessories for the ARRI Alexa Mini, RED DSMC2 & Canon C200 with more planned.
What is Left Field?
In line with the Bright Tangerine naming system of referencing British music and pop culture, the new line of accessories was named after the ‘Left Field‘ traveling stage that features in the Glastonbury Festival and others.
Left Field Sliding Kit for the Sony Venice & Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini
Last year, Bright Tangerine’s Canon C200 cage was released. The new kits for the Venice & Ursa Mini use the same design language, with similar features using a sliding mechanism for the top & bottom plates with plenty of mounting holes and ARRI accessory mounts. As we have come to expect of Bright Tangerine, the camera accessories look to be of high quality and offer plenty of versatility.
Unlike the Canon C200 cage which is only compatible with the one camera, this new kit is compatible with both the Sony Venice & Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini Pro. You simply use different mounting holes for each camera.
The full kit includes a 15mm LWS baseplate setup, top plate, 15mm LWS bracket, top handle & two Left Field Dovetail plates. There are also two smaller kits for the baseplate section and top plate section.
Universal 15mm LWS Baseplate
The Left Field 15mm LWS Universal Baseplate sets the platform for the camera. By using different riser blocks, you can use the baseplate with different cameras. This makes sure that the 15mm rods are placed at the correct height to the camera’s optical center. If you were to go from a Canon C200 to an Ursa Mini Pro, for example, you would just need to change the riser block which mounts inside the baseplate. Bright Tangerine has said that a Canon C100/C300/C500/Sony FS7 and Sony FS5/Panasonic EVA-1/Varicam LT/Varicam 35 riser blocks will be released shortly.
If you aren’t concerned about correct height placement of your rods than you could use other cameras on the different baseplates since many accessories offer a range of adjustment for rod placement.
The Sony Venice riser block is also compatible with the Sony F5, F55 & Ursa Mini 4.6K & Ursa Mini Pro. It comes with four captive screws in total (2x 1/4″ & 2x 3/8″), depending on which camera you are using.
The bottom of the baseplate uses an ARRI standard dovetail clamp so it can be used with a full-size ARRI dovetail or the included low profile Left Field Dovetail Plate.
The Dovetail plate can be used as a quick release plate, mounted onto a tripod, gimbal or other support. The sliding ability makes it useful for being able to adjust your counterbalance. The two included screws are used as safety stops. If you place the screws on the other side, the plate is fixed into position and disables the sliding capability. The camera can snap on/off the dovetail plate.
The baseplate & dovetail plate feature multiple 1/4″, 3/8″ and ARRI accessory mounts for versatile mounting options, adding a rosette adaptor for a handgrip or shoulder pad underneath.
The baseplate has four rod clamps instead of just two. This makes sure that rods are secured and won’t flex or shift when using multiple accessories and large lenses. By giving you four clamps, you can create a long support rod from two shorter rods which means you don’t have to pack extra long rods.
The Top Plate
The top plate kit for the Sony Venice & Ursa Mini Pro also features an ARRI standard dovetail and comes with the low profile dovetail plate. Just like the baseplate, it has sliding capabilities to adjust for counterbalance and the plate can be snapped in and out for a quick release of top-mounted accessories like a top handle. On the front, there is a double 15mm rod clamp for mounting lens motors, EVF brackets, and other accessories.
The top plate core mounts onto the Sony Venice using four screws, or the Ursa Mini with two screws. On each side of the plate are 1/4″, 3/8″ and ARRI accessory mounts which can be used to mount an articulating arm or other accessories.
If you purchase the full Left Field Kit, it also comes with a Carrying Top Handle (1/4-20″). This is very similar to ARRI’s top handles and is indeed compatible with their handle extension blocks. It features numerous ARRI accessory mounts for anti-twist and the vertical post can be repositioned along the bar.
Pricing & Availability
The Left Field Kit for the Sony Venice is already available and shipping. These kits are the same for the Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini 4.6K & Ursa Mini Pro.
Left Field QR Baseplate for Sony Venice – $347 USD
Left Field Sliding Top Plate – $297 USD
Left Field Sony Venice Sliding Kit – $797 USD
Carrying Top Handle (1/4″) – $177.21 USD
Left Field ARRI Dovetail Plate – $78.21 USD
Left Field ARRI Standard Dovetail (300mm/11.8″) – $393.03 USD
What do you think about the new offerings from Bright Tangerine? What cameras would you like to see Bright Tangerine fit out next?
Competition
The ARRI Pro set for the Sony Venice comes in at $3,310 and includes the 15mm LWS baseplate, Top Plate, two 15mm rods, QRP-1 Quick Release Plate and bridge adaptor.
Wooden Camera Sony Venice Pro Accessory Kit is also available for $3,718 USD and includes a baseplate, top plate, master handle, A-Box, D-Box & EVF extension unit.
Vocas also has a number of accessories for the Sony Venice.
